Mail-crane.



W. JOHNSTON.

MAIL CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED D30. 26, 1912.

1,067,344, Patented July 15, 1913.

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WITNESSES: Ill YEN T01? COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPH COQWASNINGTON. I16.

W. JOHNSTON.

MAIL CRANE. APPLICATION-FILED DEC. 26, 1912.

1,067,344, Patented July 15, 1913.

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WITNESSES. INVENTOR //2 WW W JMWM ATTORNEY LULUMBIA PLANomlAPn co..WASHINGTON. u

W. JOHNSTON.

MAIL 01mm. APPLIQATIOH FILED 1320.26, 1912.

1,067,344. Patented July 15, 1913.

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wumeooeo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JOHNSTON, OF WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-CRANE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM JOHNSTON, acitizen of the United States, residing at \Vashington, in the county ofashington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Mail-Cranes, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for delivering andreceiving mail bags from speeding trains and its object is to providemeans whereby a mail bag may be delivered to and received from a passingtrain with a minimum of danger to the bag and its contents.

With the above and other objects in view which will be more clearly setforth in the following specification I have invented the deviceillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is anelevational view of my invention shown in connection with a section of amail car, Fig. 2 is a top plan View of Fig. 1 the car being shown inhorizontal section, Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 4, and Fig. 4 is aside elevation of a wall of a mail car showing one part of my inventionsecured thereto.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout thespecification and in the various views in the drawings in wh1ch 1indicates a base for a crane upon which an upright 2 is fixed, to theupper end of which is pivoted a cross arm 3, the end 4 of which isheavier than the end 5. On the latter extreme end is pivotally mounted abag supporting hook 6 which is adapted to hold the bag 7 which is to betaken therefrom by the arm 8 on the sliding member 9 mounted on the rod10 secured in the door 11 of the car 12.

Slidable vertically and pivotally mounted on the member 2 is a weightrod 13, having a right angular bottom end 14 which is adapted to engagea loop such as the loop 15 on the bottom of the bag 7 whereby the bagwill be held in a vertical position to be received by the arm 8. Themember 14 will turn in the direction the car is traveling as will thehook 6 so that the bag will readily slide from engagement therewith.

Pivotally mounted on the rigid member 20, fixed to the member 2 by meansof a bolt 16 (shown dotted in Fig. 2) is a cross arm 17 on which theangularly disposed arm 18 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 26, 1912.

Patented July 15,1913.

Serial No. 738,739.

is fixed whereby said arm 18 may be directed to the direction from whicha train is coming so as to receive the bag 19 from the train.

\Vings 21 and 22 are provided on the upright 2, to which are connectedby .chains and 24 pins 25 and 26 which are adapted to pass throughopenings in the member 20 and into openings in ends of the member asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 whereby said member may be held in afixed position.

Iivotally mounted upon the outside wall 27 of the car 12 are uprights 28and 29, the former carrying the arm 30 fixed thereto and the lattercarrying the arm 31 which has provided on its extreme end a collarmember 32 which embraces the member 30 and is slidable thereover wherebysaid member 30 is held properly braced. The outer end of the arm 30 isprovided with a pivota-lly mounted hook member 33 which is adapted toengage the stops 34 and 35 whereby the bag 19 can be delivered to thearm 8 on said car 12. On the member 28 is fixed a stifl spring steel arm36 which engages the loop 15 at the bottom of said bag 19 whereby saidbag will-be held in the pro-per position to be received by the arm 18 onthe member 17. The hook members 33 will turn in either direction asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, so that a bag may be deliveredtherefrom regardless of the direction in which a train is moving. Thearms 30 and 31 swing so as to bring the members 33 and 36 adjacent thedoor 11 of the car 12 in order that the mail bag 19 may be readily fixedin place on said members as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. A clamp 37may be provided on the member 33 so as to engage the ring 38 on the bag19 and hold it against accidental displacement.

Having now described my invention that which I claim to be new anddesire to procure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device as described consisting of means on a car and a platform forsimultaneously delivering and receiving mail bags, said car deliveringmeans consisting of a hinged arm and a hinged brace therefor, means onsaid arm for holding a bag in combination with a platform. crane havingan arm adapted to catch said bag, a swinging bar upon which said lastbar is mounted.

2. A device as described consisting of means on a car and a platform forsimul taneously delivering and receiving mail bags, said car deliveringmeans consisting of a hinged arm. and a hinged brace therefor, means onsaid arm for holding a bag in combination with a platform crane havingan arm adapted to catch said bag, a swinging bar upon which said lastbar is mounted, a horizontal bar to which said first bar may be fixed.

3.21 device as described consisting of means on a car and a platform forsimultaneously delivering and receiving mail bags, said car deliveringmeans consisting of a hinged arm and a hinged brace therefor, means onsaid arm for holding a bag in combination with a platform crane havingan arm adapted to catch said bag, a swinging bar upon which said lastbar is mounted, a horizontal bar to which said first bar may be fixed, apost to which said last bar is hingedly connected.

4. A device as described consisting of means on a car and a platform forsimultaneously delivering and receiving mail bags, said car deliveringmeans consisting of a hinged arm and a hinged brace therefor, means onsaid arm for holding a bag in combination with a platform crane havingan arm adapted to catch said bag, a swinging bar upon which said lastbar is mounted, a horizontal bar to which said first bar may be fixed, apost to which said last bar is hingedly connected, means on said postfor suspending another bag.

5. A device as described consisting of means on a car and a platform forsimultaneously delivering and receiving mail bags, said car deliveringmeans consisting of a hinged arm and a hinged brace therefor, means onsaid arm for holding a bag in combination with a platform crane havingan arm adapted to catch said bag, a swinging bar upon which said lastbar is mounted, a horizontal bar to which said first bar may be fixed, apost to which said last bar is hingedly connected, means on said postfor suspending another bag, said means being swingingly mounted on saidpost, a rotatable hook on said means.

6. A device as described consisting of means on a car and a platform forsimultaneously delivering and receiving mail bags, said car deliveringmeans consisting of a hinged arm and a hinged brace therefor, means onsaid arm for holding a bag in combinaticn with a platform crane havingan arm adapted to catch said bag, a swinging bar upon which said lastbar is mounted, a horizontal bar to which said first bar may be fixed,a. post to which said last bar is hingedly connected, means on said postfor suspending another bag, said means being swingingly mounted on saidpost, a rotatable hook on said means, a rotatable rod having a rightangular lower end for engaging the bottom of said second bag.

7. A device as described consisting of means on a car and a platform forsimultaneously delivering and receiving mail bags, said car deliveringmeans consisting of a hinged arm and a hinged brace therefor, means onsaid arm for holding a bag in combination with a platform crane havingan arm adapted to catch said bag, a swinging bar upon which said lastbar is mounted, a horizontal bar to which said first bar may be fixed, apost to which said last bar is hingedly connected, means on said postfor suspending another bag, said means being swingingly mounted on saidpost, a rotatable hook on said means, a rotatable rod having a rightangular lower end for engaging the bottom of said second bag, said rodbeing vertically movable against said post and a slidable arm on saidcar for taking said second bag.

8. A device as described consisting of means on a car and a platform fordelivering and receiving a mail bag at one time, said platformdelivering means consisting of a pivoted arm and a pivoted weightadapted to hold a bag in a vertical position, said car delivering meansconsisting of a pair of horizontally movable arms, one adapted tosupport a bag and the other adapted to brace said first one.

9. A device as described consistin of means on a car and a platform fordelivering and receiving a mail bag at one time, said platformdelivering means consisting of a pivoted arm and a pivoted weightadapted to hold a bag in a vertical position, said car delivering meansconsisting of a pair of horizontally movable arms, one adapted tosupport a bag and the other adapted to brace said first one, and aresilient arm adapted to act with said supporting arm to hold said bagin a vertical position.

10. A device as described consisting of means on a car and a platformfor delivering and receiving a mail bag at one time, said platformdelivering means consisting of a pivoted arm and a pivoted weightadapted to hold a bag in a vertical position, said car delivering meansconsisting of a pair of horizontally movable arms, one adapted tosupport a bag and the other adapted to brace said first one, a resilientarm adapted to act with said supporting arm to hold said bag in avertical position, means for holding said bag against accidentaldisplacement.

11. A device as described consisting of means on a car and a platformfor delivering and receiving a mail bag at one time, said platformdelivering means consisting of a pivoted arm and a pivoted weightadapted to hold a bag in a vertical position,

said ear delivering means consisting of a pair of horizontally movablearms, one adapted to support a bag and the other adapted to brace saidfirst one. a resilient arm adapted to art with said supporting arm tohold said bag in a vertical position, means for holding said bag againstaccidental displacement. in e-ombination with an arm adapted to receivea bag from said platform ilelivering means.

12. deviee as desel'ibed eonsisting of means on a ear and a platform fordelivering and receiving a mail bag at one time, said platformdelivering means eonsist'ing ol' a pivoted arm and a pivoted weightadapted to hold a bag in a vertieal position, said ear delivering:means: eonsisting of a l l l l l pair of horizontally movable arms, oneadapted to support a bag and the other adapted to brace said first one,a resilient arm adapted to act with said supporting arm to hold said bagin a vertical position, means for holding said bag against accidentaldisplacement in combination with an arm adapted to reeeive a bag fromsaid plat: form delivering means, and said latter arm being slidable.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM JOHNSTON.

Witnesses:

EDWARD DAY, J. \V. BRYAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

